South-South Bureau Chief of The Nation, Bisi Olaniyi, holds a Doctorate in Communication Studies, specialising in Print Media from the University of Port Harcourt. He shares his experience of combining studying and working full-time and other insights.
Why did you decide to get the highest academic qualification, PhD, as a practising journalist?
Doctorate in Communication Studies, specialising in Print Media (full-time, for seven years), from the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State is to make me a much-better journalist.
How were you able to combine working and studying for the course?
Quite challenging to combine full-time work in Vintage Press Limited/The Nation Newspaper in the volatile Rivers State with full-time Doctoral programme, especially during the first two years of coursework, while the last five years of research and supervision by two renowned Professors, as well as defence, were also tasking and involved sleepless nights, but I survived by the grace and mercy of God Almighty.
What advice do you have for journalists who want to acquire similar qualifications?
They should put God first, be more prayerful, focused, and determined, and work very hard, without making noise about the Doctoral programme, for enemies of progress, particularly in their offices, not to truncate the programme with malicious transfers to distant places, because of jealousy and envy.
What impact will having a Ph.D have on your practice and overall career development?
Having a Ph.D makes the holder to become a much-better media professional, in view of the grilling by the two supervisors, internal and external examiners, mostly world-class Professors and other eminent scholars/academics. Doctorate will also enable the holder to attain greater heights in Journalism.
How can more journalists having a PhD enhance the town-and-gown relationship between the newsroom and the classroom?
Even while on the Doctoral programme at UNIPORT, on many occasions, I was invited by my lecturers to present papers as a guest speaker in the Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies, Faculty of Humanities, and also discuss topical issues on Radio UNIPORT of the department, while I also assisted lecturers to teach Master’s students.
Having Ph.D will surely enhance the town and gown relationship between the newsroom and the classroom, as more lecturers will be available as resource persons during journalists’ programmes, while media professionals with Doctorate can also be invited to present papers in the universities, and later join as full-time lecturers, with more field experiences.
Any other comments you want to make on the benefits of higher qualifications for media practice?
It is most appropriate to have higher qualifications, especially Ph.D, for media practice, in order to enhance competence and capacity of the professionals, who may later opt for lecturing/teaching in the universities.
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